DNEG Adds Emmy-Nominated Producers Ron Ames and Jesse Kobayashi
Company taps the pair to advance and improve its service offerings and provide creative technological solutions to filmmaking challenges.
Sam Fell Talks ‘Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget’
The director of Aardman and Netflix’s acclaimed ‘Chicken Run’ sequel discusses why the ‘heart is in hand-made’ and how the vibrant medium of stop-motion animation, like no other, helps visualize the fun, heartfelt story of Ginger, Rocky, their daughter Molly, and where nuggets really come from.
Amuse Animation Inks Multiple Broadcast Deals
Digital studio expands into free and pay TV in LATAM, Canaries, and MENA; deals include 540 episodes of popular shows, including ‘Shark Academy,’ ‘Miliki Family,’ ‘RoboFuse,’ ‘AnimaCars,’ and ‘Increditales.’
Ellipse Animation Acquires Studio Campedelli
The move follows the studio’s expansion of Média-Participations in France and Belgium and places it in a more prominent position within the international animation industry.
16 Scientific & Technical Achievements to be Honored at Academy Sci-Tech Awards
Ceremony, to be held at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on February 23, celebrates individuals and companies whose discoveries and innovations have contributed in significant and lasting ways to the motion picture industry.
Disney Branded TV Nabs ‘Miraculous - Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir’ Seasons 6 and 7
Zag and Mediawan Kids & Family ink deal to send hugely popular animated series and 3 specials to Disney Channels worldwide.
Apple TV+ Drops ‘Sago Mini Friends’ Season 2 Trailer
The streamer reveals upcoming winter ‘Kids & Family’ premieres, including the all-new ‘Peanuts’ Special ‘Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin,’ The Jim Henson Company’s ‘Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock’ Season 2, and a new season of ‘Sago Mini Friends,’ which kicks off January 26.
Netflix and Mattel Tease ‘Masters of the Universe: Revolution’
Kevin Smith’s Emmy-nominated animated series returns as He-Man battles a newly mechanized Skeletor and the Horde Empire; official trailer, key art and new images drop ahead of the January 25 global streaming debut.
Seth MacFarlane’s ‘Ted’ Comes to Life in Real Time with ViewScreen Studio
The new comedy, which premieres January 11 on Peacock, uses innovative production visualization technology from the famed creator’s company, Fuzzy Door Tech, to film an animated lead character alongside other actors.
51st Annual Annie Award Nominations Announced
Best Animated Feature nominees ‘Nimona,’ ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,’ ‘Suzume,’ ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,’ and ‘The Boy and the Heron’ top the expansive list of category nominations; animation’s biggest awards ceremony is scheduled to return live on Saturday, February 17 at UCLA’s Royce Hall.
Netflix Drops Trailer for DreamWorks’ ‘Orion and the Dark’
Streamer also shares images and a casting announcement for the Charlie Kaufman-penned animated film, which tells the story of an average kid and his not-so-average all-consuming fears; starring Jacob Tremblay, Paul Walter, Angela Bassett, Colin Hanks and Natasia Demetriou, the film debuts February 2, 2024.
‘Several Hundred’ Employees to be Laid Off at Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios
The sad news was announced Wednesday in a company memo from entertainment chief Mike Hopkins, who cited the need to reduce costs ‘to deliver even more breakthrough movies, TV shows, and live sports’ as the reason for the workforce cuts; 500 workers will also be cut at Amazon’s Twitch live streaming platform.
Podcast EP 237: How 3D Studio Yonk Uses VR Sculpting to Get Big Name Clients
The Netherlands-based animation studio’s Niels van der Donk and Victoria Young discuss VR creative tools, working hard to earn big-name clients, and what it took to make the studio a full-time gig.
Letting Turtle Kids Be Kids in ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’
With a heap of festival wins, a BAFTA longlist spot, and a Critics Choice nomination, the hit animated film its director Jeff Rowe calls ‘punk rock anarchy hanging together by duct tape’ tells the funny, colorful, and unique origin story of how four brothers become humanoid turtle mutants, get taken in by a mutant rat karate master, and become New York City’s unorthodox crime-fighting heroes.
FMX Drops 2024 Trailer
Originating from the ‘World of Gra’ universe created by graduates of the Animationsinstitut, the trailer illustrates this year’s event theme, ‘Connecting Ideas;’ the 28th edition of FMX – Film & Media Exchange returns to Stuttgart April 23 to 26.
Richard O’Connor Talks the Good, the Bad, and the Amusing
For the Ace & Son studio founder, finding projects that matter, that focus on the complexities of living in a flawed world, brings purpose and sustainability despite the financial challenges, like the pro bono music video for The Exbats’ ‘Doorman,’ inspired by 'Superjail’s Christy Karacas, about a girl who wants to beat up a bar bouncer.
‘Ricky and Morty: The Complete Seventh Season’ Heads to Blu-ray and DVD
All 10 episodes, featurettes, and a look ‘Inside’ the show and its characters will be available March 12 on Steelbook Blu-ray Disc, Blu-ray Disc and DVD; now available for purchase on digital.
Final Draft 13 Now Available
Latest update for the leading screenwriting application includes the new Navigator 2.0, character development tools, and an enhanced outline editor.
NVIDIA’s AI Workbench Beta Coming Later This Month
At CES, company announced a host of new generative AI technology updates and releases, including TensorRT GPUs, the TensorRT-LLM open-source library, tools for RTX PCs and workstations, RTX-accelerated GeForce RTX SUPER GPUs, and new developer AI tools to create, test, and customize pre-trained generative AI models and LLMs.
NVIDIA Studio Debuts AI- and RTX-Accelerated Tech Upgrades at CES
Enhanced tools, laptops, and desktop systems are designed to help artists realize their creative vision, such as transforming 2D illustrations into dynamic 3D scenes using AI and Adobe Firefly 2.
NVIDIA Expands GeForce NOW
Cloud gaming service boasts new Activision and Blizzard titles ‘Diablo IV’ and ‘Overwatch, new Ultimate and Priority membership day passes, and availability to gamers across Japan, allowing them to play their favorite games in the cloud.
NVIDIA Avatar Cloud Engine Lets Developers Build Digital Avatars with Gen AI
New microservices mean state-of-the-art generative AI models can now be integrated into games, tools, and middleware to enable new possibilities such as characters interacting without the need for pre-scripted dialogue.
Getty Images Releases Generative AI by iStock, Built on NVIDIA Picasso
Announced at CES, the tool provides an affordable, commercially safe image generation service that produces ready-to-license visuals that include legal protection and usage rights.
Miyazaki’s ‘The Boy and the Heron’ Wins at Golden Globes
The latest from Studio Ghibli scores for Best Motion Picture – Animated, while director Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’ garners 5 awards and 'The Last of Us' wins for Best Television Series – Drama; the ceremony is now streaming on Paramount+.
Animal Logic Integrating into Netflix Animation, Karen Toliver to Lead
The streamer's VP of Animation Film will head the completely integrated global studio; former Animal Logic CEO Sharon Taylor has resigned.
